India’s consumer price inflation climbs to 5.39% in April

India's consumer price inflation broke a slowing trend, rising to 5.39 per cent in April 2016 against 4.83 per cent in March and 4.87 in April 2015, leaving not enough room for another rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In the first uptick since January, consumer price inflation, which the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) targets for setting interest rates, rose at a faster-than-expected pace, to 5.39 per cent last month, from 4.83 per cent in March.

The spike in consumer price inflation in April was driven mainly by higher food prices, caused mainly by drought-like conditions in several parts of the country that pushed up prices of staple vegetables by 3.8 per cent month-on-month.

Overall food price inflation stood at 6.32 per cent in April 2016 against 3.21 per cent in March 2016 and 3.11 per cent in April 2015.

Rural inflation stood at 6.09 per cent in April 2016 against 5.70 per cent in March 2016 and 5.29 per cent in April 2015.

Food price inflation for the rural areas stood at 6.58 per cent in April 2016 against 5.79 per cent in March 2016 and 5.03 per cent in April 2015.

Urban consumer price inflation stood at 4.68 per cent in April 2016 against 3.95 per cent in March 2016 and 4.36 per cent in April 2015.

Food price inflation for the urban areas stood at 5.97 per cent in April 2016 against 3.98 per cent in March 2016 and 5.17 per cent in April 2015.